Dublin Day 3...

Hosted by Cecily and Life With Kaishon

(OK, I know I wrote it on Tuesday, but that was when I knew I would have time! Enjoy!)


You might not believe me, but I really had planned to post these all rapid fire-like. If you are a long time reader, you might already be aware of how I hope things go, and how they really go. Here it is more than a week since the last Dublin post and I am finally getting to this.
I have been home long enough that when I look at the pictures, I say to myself, "Wow, was I really just in Ireland? Did I really have the wonderful opportunity to see my favorite country (besides these here Untied States) for a second time? Stang, I am a lucky girl!"
Yeah, that is pretty much how it goes, because that is just how awesome I am...and I know I am awesome cause my four year old son tells me that every couple of days!
Our day started out with a big yummy breakfast (not shown)

and a wonderful, and LONG walk to the Dublin Zoo! I admit, I love zoos. There are so many animals you just don't have many chances to see in the wild. I know a lot of people don't like them and that is fine, but I LOVE em! So, here are a couple of the critters we encountered!
Isn't this baby adorable?
"Make sure you get this side! Definitely my best!"
This hippo was very watchful of me as I snapped away at him. I think he had a cold...his eye was watering.
Love the elephants too!

I could put up over a hundred pictures...I had to get a lot, I promised one little boy oodles of animal pictures! However, it was a very full and busy day. After the zoo, we wandered all over Phoenix Park. And let me just say, it is HUGE, and beautiful and well loved and used by the Dubliners (the populace and who knows, maybe even the famous group too!)
So here are a couple of my favorite pictures. The Wellington Monument. I love it! It is to memorialize all the Irishmen who died fighting in wars for the British.
Aaron on the steps of the Wellington Monument.
For scale, you see that dark spot in the middle of the green that is a guy who is about 6 feet tall!

The huge cross that is a tribute to the visit from Pope John Paul, where he held mass for over a million people.
The plaque at the cross. In 1979 Pope John Paul II came to Dublin.
Really like the lens flare here.

And the herd of deer that were just hanging out in the middle of the park, totally unperturbed by the people all around them!

After the park, we walked all the way to the Kilmainham Gaol.
This cross represents the spot where James Connelly was put to death for his part in the revolution attempt. He wasn't killed where the others were, because he had to be brought in from the hospital, where he was already not doing too well. He couldn't stand on his own, so when he was brought into the stone yard, they closed the gates, put him on a chair, and a firing squad ended his life. The cross below this, represents where the other leaders of the revolution were put to death. The interesting part is, before the executions, the people of Ireland (as a whole) weren't extremely keen to gain independence. After the brutal deaths of these men, the resistance gained in popularity.

Aaron standing inside of one of the cells in the nicer, newer part of the gaol. It was added on in the 18th century! Very modern.
(Political graffiti that was done by one of the prisoners. I can't recall who the guide said it was an image of.)
This too, is one of my favorite places in Dublin. yes, I know you are probably thinking, "A jail? Really? One of your favorite places is a jail?" Sounds strange, maybe even a bit morbid, but it is steeped in history of the Irish Revolution. This history is so recent, and fresh in the minds of many of the Irish folks. Men spent their final hours here, knowing they were to die for fighting for freedom. I have to say, freedom was and is worth fighting for. This piece of Irish history lay empty and falling to ruins, and was nearly demolished before being turned into a national treasure. Men and women who spent time here, pled for it's salvation. Without it as a reminder history would have been dimmed.